Domina Review: Nightshade (Season 1 Episode 6)

Livia’s decision to commit some cold-blooded murder on Domina Season 1 Episode 6, “Nightshade,” leads to what is essentially the series most exciting episode yet, a fast-paced hour that manages to generate some genuine tension. 

Granted, thanks to the existence of history, we knew going in that Marcellus would die young and fairly early into his marriage to Julia. But by making his death a sort of litmus test for Livia’s steadily crumbling moral center, the episode becomes about something much more than just the death of a generally terrible boy. 

It’s obvious that in the stories Livia tells herself, she’s a hero of the Republic, despite the fact that she married Gaius and came up with the plan that kept him in control of Rome. Her complicated plot to restore the Senate of course can only come to fruition after she herself has enjoyed the fruits of a life of privilege and power, and it’s one that requires her own son to succeed. Whether she actually is a hero, of course, is the question that Domina seems set to interrogate.

After all, Livia seems to feel precious little guilt about her plan to murder her husband’s nephew — who is also the son of a woman she claims to call a friend. But after the events of last week, in which Livia learned that Marcellus planned to have her exiled and both her sons killed as soon as he came into power, she’s got lots of reasons to want to see him gone.

That said, it’s still blatant premeditated murder for personal gain, a plan that’s somehow so shocking it even gives Antigone pause, a woman who has already purposefully killed several people over the course of this show! 

This matters, in that there are few people in the world of Domina that can stand up to Livia, and even Antigone’s objections don’t actually last that long. Livia, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, seems convinced that they have to take out Marcellus before he’s officially adopted as her husband’s heir, which means that they now have to try and pull their murder plot off at the family’s Baiae beach villa. 

Marcellus’s possible impending death isn’t the only bit of high drama happening at the Baiae house, though. Julia is busy openly hating every aspect of her marriage, even as she’s being forced to have sex with her husband each day in the hopes of getting pregnant. (Sometimes in front of others.)

Marcellus, for his part, would rather be sleeping with his Spanish slave Appio, who is very strangely and openly territorial about their connection, despite the fact that he’s been busy spying and selling family secrets to Tycho on the side for months now.

Julia is also still pining after Marc Antony’s son Iullus even though she’s married and he’s her husband’s best friend and adopted brother. Her decision to finally start sleeping with him feels both like a desperate gambit for happiness and a ploy to get pregnant by any means necessary, if only so her husband will leave her alone.

With the revelation of Julia’s affair with Iullus and Marcellus’ threat to write and tell Gaius, there was a moment where I thought Domina was setting us up for some sort of Roman murder mystery drama, just with the sheer amount of people who suddenly wanted Marcellus dead. This back and forth makes for the most fun part of the hour, but no, my dreams were dashed. 

Instead, Livia decides to use Appio to do the deed, convinced that she can blackmail him into killing his lover by promising him freedom papers and the money to leave Italy. (And since Octavia has discovered his secret stash of spy cash hidden in the house in Rome, he can’t really go back there or he’ll be tortured until he reveals his crimes and then sold.)

And it turns out that she’s not wrong — Appio does eventually decide to save himself and put poison in Marcellus’s dinner. But he also puts it in everyone else’s too, leaving Livia, Julia, and, presumably, several others teetering near death along with him. 

Though, in the end, didn’t he sort of do them a favor? I mean, it’s not like anyone would suspect either of these women of trying to harm Marcellus when they themselves were also sick?

Conveniently, Antigone manages to save everyone but Marcellus, but even though Tycho is apparently willing to commit murder and bury a body for his wife’s BFF/boss, but also there’s no way that someone isn’t going to find that barely dug grave, right?

Stray Thoughts and Observations:

• I wish Domina had time to poke a little further at Antigone’s relationship with Livia’s sons. She literally fought Marcellus on Tiberius’ behalf a couple of episodes back and there’s an intriguing moment where she seems angrier about his plans to kill the boys than Livia does. 
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• Gaius’ sudden enthusiasm for Tiberius is interesting, particularly given that everyone in the show (including his own mother!) thinks he’s creepy and useless. Never discount a guy who keeps the numbers, folks. 
• I am also intrigued by how intuitive Tiberius is regarding his mother’s illicit plans.
• I suppose Livia thinks Drusus is easily lead and that’s why he could eventually be talked round to her grand restore the Senate plan. But Drusus is also lazy and used to the comforts of his position which, to me, says a lot about what he’d actually do with the power of the state if he got it. 

What did you think of this episode of Domina? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Domina airs Sundays at 10/9c on Epix.

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